Mother of high school QB headed to Tennessee sues state of North Carolina over NIL restrictions

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The mother of a touted high school football player who has committed to play in college at Tennessee is suing the state of North Carolina over its restrictions for public-school athletes to cash in on their athletic fame.

Rolanda Brandon filed the complaint last week in Wake County Superior Court. Her son is Greensboro Grimsley quarterback Faizon Brandon, who is the nation’s top-ranked recruit in the class of 2026, according to 247Sports, while ranking No. 5 for On3.com and No. 6 for Rivals.

The lawsuit names the state Board of Education and its Department of Public Instruction as defendants, which followed a policy adopted in June blocking the state’s public-school athletes from making money through the use of their name, image and likeness (NIL).

“The State Board of Education was asked to create rules allowing public high school athletes to use their NIL — it was not empowered to ban it,” Charlotte-based attorney Mike Ingersoll said in a statement to The Charlotte Observer. “We look forward to correcting the State Board’s error and to help our client benefit from the incredible value and opportunities his hard work and commitment have created for his name, image, and likeness.”

WRAL of Raleigh reported the complaint states that “a prominent national trading card company” had agreed to pay for Faizon to sign memorability before graduation, offering the family “with financial security for years to come.”

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North Carolina is among the minority of states that don’t permit NIL activities such as endorsements for public appearances at camps or autograph signings — all of which have become commonplace at the college level.

That restriction, however, doesn’t apply to private-school athletes such as fellow five-star prospect and Tennessee recruit David Sanders Jr. out of Charlotte’s Providence Day School. Sanders has a website dedicated toward selling merchandise with his own image.

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